Muslim Women Dress:the Media Debate

The way Muslim women dress has been the focus of debate in the media for many years now, and a particular focus on the
headscarf, continues unabated.

The scarf is seen by many as a symbol of
oppression, by others as a symbol of freedom.

On another level the way Muslim women dress is viewed as encapsulating the
struggle of patriarchy versus feminism, or Christianity and Islam. But things
are not always as simple as they seem and the truth lies somewhere in between
these extremes.

In 2007 I travelled extensively throughout China, during which time I
encountered a moderate form of Islam and visited many all-women mosques. Their
existence came as a surprise, partly because Islam in China, a country which is
officially atheist, in itself is little heard of, but also because women in
China can become imams or spiritual leaders to the women in their
community. This situation has existed for a long time in China but but there is
no other country in the Islamic world which allows a women to become a female
imam.

It seems to me that society needs to move away from stereotypes of Muslim
women, and make a real attempt to understand them as people if we are to
understand Islam itself. This five-part article is my attempt to show how the
media portray the way Muslim women dress, starting back in the 19th century, and
how our view has been shaped through painting and photography, with the
resulting stereotypes that persist to the present day in the popular media and
advertising.

I also explore briefly the popular press before looking at attempts by
contemporary photographers to shed light on Islam and how they have consciously
or unconsciously dealt with stereotypes, including the work of artists living
and working in the west and the ways which many photographers are now attempting
to go beyond these stereotypes. Finally, I talk about Muslim women in China, and
the unique role that a female Muslim imam has.

It is my hope that the articles here will contribute to the ongoing dialogue
concerning Muslim women dress in a positive way that will contribute to greater
understanding, a broadening of our view, and greater tolerance.

Part 1: The Origins of Stereotypical Imagery in Art

Orientalism

Orientalism is a term which was used as early as 1769, and which "denotes
something... associated with or characteristic of Asia or Asians". In general
usage today, it encompasses a train of thought dating from the 19th century that
divides the world in two, namely the East and the West, and in which the West is
dominant.

Edward Said, well-known for his critique of Orientalism, claimed that
this divide was due to a tradition of romanticising images of Asia and the
Middle East, and that this Euro-centric view helped to support Europe and
America's colonial and imperial ambitions.

Above: A Painting by Jean-Leon Gerome

Orientalism is also the name of a genre of European art and literature from
the 19th century. One of the leading Orientalist painters from this era is
Jean-Leon Gerome who produced paintings with such great detail that they
almost have a photographic quality. Gerome's work dealt in stereotypes about
Muslim women (see the above image), emphasising mystery and inaccessibility
through the way the Muslim women dress which was one of the fascinations the
West held for the Middle East.

Other artists such as Delacroix, Sargent and Matisse, also painted the female
figure as the quintessence of the mystery and exoticism with which they
experienced unknown lands.

Western stereotypes in photography

With the advent of photography, Europeans began to travel with their cameras to
Muslim countries and to document the daily life of local people and their
traditions.

In Algeria for example the Colonists made postcards which showed the way
Muslim women dress using props that the photographer included in the pictures,
making the images seem more real. They were imaginative constructs which seemed
authentic in the same way that Gerome created his Orientalist scenes using
Islamic architecture and material props to authenticate his works.

For the western audience, images of Muslim women were thereby eroticised and
at the same time she was seen as submissive but inaccessible.

The Veil in Advertising

These stereotypes based on the way Muslim women dress persist to the present day
and underlie many images seen in advertising. The photograph below left shows an
American advertisement for perfume. On the left of the image is a sombre-faced
woman wearing a veil next to which an American woman is seen laughing and
clearly enjoying herself.

This kind of stereotypical image helps to maintain the
idea that Muslim women have to submit to Islamic laws which deny them the
freedom that American women believe they have.

Above: Muslim Women in Advertising

In the second advertisement, a photograph of a veiled woman is used to sell
President's Choice couscous soup. She fulfils the requirements of the western
stereotype of the mysterious woman hiding behind her veil while clearly a sexual
object for male consumption with her heavily made up eyes and alluring gaze.

Above: Muslim woman in an advert for couscous

The Veil as a Symbol of Oppression

The veil today has therefore become a symbol to represent any Muslim woman. Many
people think the way Muslim women dress is oppressive and that the veil in
particular is unnecessary, something forced upon the women.

This view is not
confined to westerners but also includes Muslims such as Amir Normandi, a
student of Harper College in the US who caused controversy with his exhibition
in 2005, in which he said he was “trying to open the window from the Islam of
narrow view to a wider view.

Above: Image by Amir Normandi

One of the images showed a woman covered from the waist up in a burqa
but wearing nothing from the waist down. Another image (above) showed a face
imprisoned by a scarf of the kind many Muslim women wear to cover their heads.
The exhibition was taken down after some female Muslim students said they found
it offensive as the pictures portrayed them as prisoners of their own
religion.

In fact nowhere in the holy book of Islam, the Qu'ran, does it state that
Muslim women dress code must include the veiling of women and in most Muslim
societies, including the huizu, the largest ethnic minority in China,
veiling is the choice of each individual and is considered a sign of modesty.

Moreover, this need for modesty is not restricted to women only; both muslim men
and women are enjoined to guard their modesty as the following quote from the
Qu'ran demonstrates: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze
and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them". (Qu'ran
24:30-31).

Above: Member of the Tuareg Tribe Wearing the Tagelmust

Generally, women wear the veil more than men but in some societies men wear
the veil as well. An example of this is the Tuareg tribe in North Africa (see
above) whose veil denotes status - the higher the rank, the more a man covers
himself.

The tagelmust as it is called is part veil, part turban. It is only worn by adult males and never removed in the presence of anyone other than close family. Touareg men are known to cover their facial features (particularly the nose and mouth) with their hands if the tagelmust is not available.

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